Sustainable Agriculture student awarded Big Brother scholarship

Grace Scott at the BBM awards, with L-R, last years winner Caitlin Sawyer and Wayne Van Balen, the Sydney Convenor of the Australian Institute of Agriculture.

Congratulations go to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security student, Grace Scott, who was recently awarded a Big Brother Movement (BBM) scholarship.

Grace received the BBM's Sir John Pagan Horticultural Scholarship. The scholarship awards $8,000 to students showing exceptional outcomes during their studies.

Grace will use the scholarship to visit different laboratories throughout the UK in June 2016. During her trip, she will be exposed to leading research in the field of plant genomics while gaining valuable work experience. While there, she'll also have the opportunity to attend the Society of Experimental Botany Conference.

She also plans to spend a week of work experience in Singapore on the way to the UK at the renowned Gardens by the Bay, the 101-hectare park in central Singapore that is part of the government's strategy to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.

When she graduates, Grace says her goal is to pursue post graduate studies and obtain a PhD. Currently, as well as mentoring younger students and promoting horticulture, while completing her degree, she's also taking an elective in genetic engineering.

"Hopefully one day I'd like to genetically engineer a plant that doesn't require much fertiliser which would be really useful in arid regions and be able to grow in poorer soil," she says

Ends
 
7 December 2015
 
Media Contact: Tanya Patterson